Monica LaFaye Rockward ‘s path out of poverty demonstrates how perseverance and some help from a Community Action Agency can turn a person’s life around.

When Ms. Rockward first became a client of Gulf Coast Community Services Association (GCCSA), she lived in subsidized housing with an income below the poverty line. Gulf Coast offered her a full menu of services over five years—help with her rent, courses in financial literacy, assistance with taxes, an Individual Development Account , even toys for her children at Christmas.

Ms. Rockward applied her IDA funds to her education, completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in special education, a lifelong dream.

She is now a certified special ed teacher in Houston. Ms. Rockward called her association with GCCSA a “pivotal” moment in her life and proudly invited her friends and mentors from the agency to her graduation.

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